j_war06

I know that when I would lose just a pound my sex drive would be perfectly normal...but if I gained anything, or was just bloated, I didnt even want to leave the house!! It was crazy weird....Its a body image thing...I know that its all girls responding...but I kind of understand what you are feeling, especially as a younger band patient. We dont have partners in life (husband or wife), but we still have to get out there and satisfy our needs...besides what guy isnt trying to get the girls

The first time I had sex after the band was over a year after I was banded. I made the guy chase me for months! I knew he was a known "player" and I wanted to make sure I wasnt just a piece...plus I was SO scared of what he would think of my naked body outside of girdle underwear, tight jeans, high heels, corset, push up bra, and so forth and so on...I knew I was like false-advertisement, and was SO scared that he would reject me if he ever saw who I really was. All the anxiety, plus fear of catching a disease or getting knocked up scared me half to death to, to the point that my sex-drive was almost none functional...after the first time we did anything at all I felt so strange. I felt like he would probably never follow through with any promises or anything, because I know how guys are, in fact I only have like 2 close friends that are girls, the rest are guys. But he did call, and he asked why I hid my beautiful body from everyone under all that garb...quite funny! The stuff I thought made me look good, actually was more of a turn-off. We ended up being together for a LONG time, then he moved and we grew apart. But I know the anxieties and how they can be a mood ruiner. Im kind of like a guy in my sexual nature. I have to be turned on to do ANYTHING! If Im not feelin it, hes not gettin any love lol!! Plus, when sex is a new thing, its always scary. But I will tell you the pill + condom use is pretty good at preventing pregnancy and STDs at the same time. I did get pregnant with my ex-fiance, Im not necessarily proud of it, but I am very happy because I was supposed to have been infertile, so its a blessing more than anything. In your case I really suggest holding off on sex until you are with a nice girl for a while and you feel comfortable around one another, nude or clothed. And you have discussed many things, including her contraceptive use and your willingness to use a condom (I know you boys have to be forced to use one of those), and you might want to even go get checked for STDs together (it usually brings a couple closer together actually). Just set aside your worries and body image fears, Ive learned that there is nothing you can do to make yourself look COMPLETELY difference clothed than nude, and that if they want to be with you and you turn them on, then you have really accomplished something.

P.S. In my first 2/3 of pregnancy my sex drive was normal, but now that Im starting to get a belly, I dont even have a drive lol! I guess its because I have issues seeing past the belly, and I also have problems psychologically distinguishing the baby bump from fat...so I just pretty much keep to myself...

ooooh tats are a secret love of mine...too bad I know that I cant over do it because...well, it doesnt look very professional. I have 4 already in coverable areas...well except my first one, which happens to be my favorite!! I got it on my ankle for some God forsaken reason, I guess I never saw past me being big and not showing my legs (I never wore shorts until I lost a lot of weight, and still felt weird wearing them). I always had a very large lower-body (from my hips and butt down) and never in a million years thought I would even want to wear a skirt or dress. When I lost a lot of weight I started wanting to wear cute little tea-length dresses and skirts, and now I cant where ever I work because its unprofessional...wish I could have seen past my weight at the time and gotten it somewhere more coverable I plan on getting more tats, but in my other easy to cover areas. So far I have the one on my ankle (a zodiac Scorpio M, custom-made), one on each foot along my flip-flop line so thats its easy to cover in almost any kind of shoe (a hot pink star on each foot) and a small one on my neck that my hair covers 99% of the time (a cursive J with a small heart above it)....All my tats have meanings and I wouldnt take them back for anything, just wish I could move the one on my ankle...unfortunately its permanent lol! But I manage, a bandage, liquid latex, makeup and pantyhose go along way, but most of the time I just opt for pants....So my warning...DO IT, but think about the placement before you get it done...get what YOU want, no matter what anyone else says, and ALWAYS ALWAYS pick a great tattoo artist :grouphug:

Did any of you have EXTREME lower back pain? I mean extreme as in the location of the pain....yeah the pain is extreme too, but the location is crazy....if I sit, I have to stay seated, if I stand I have to stay standing lol! Im falling apart ladies....I need someone to grab the duck tape and gorilla glue and put me back together.....everything was going perfect (health-wise) until the past 2-3 weeks, then I started falling to pieces...Im convinced that the chiropractor messed me up Wednesday...he adjusted my pelvis and lower pack (regular lower back) and my BUTT has hurt ever since (i.e. the extreme lower back) It really feels like my coccyx lol! It hurts that deep, but I also wonder if the baby may not be in a weird position right now where she is pushing on it making it hurt...I cant hardly move..............AGAIN! So its another weekend at home, being lonely and bored More school work I guess I could get ahead on research paper and studying for a test on Monday....Im gonna give it the weekend to get better, and if not then I have a chiropractor appt on Monday morning....Just eating tylenol like crazy....

P.S. Im getting that light-headed weird feeling again these days just like at the beginning of pregnancy....I like the 2nd trimester the best lol!!! It was more fun

Am I the only one that demanded a chewable prenatal Vitamin? There is no way I was going to even attempt to swallow those horsepills!

I had an unfill, so I could take the vitamins...Mine are REALLY easy to swallow. I was worried the first time I took it because it did look scary...but they are coated on the outside and it makes them go down easier...plus they taste and smell like marshmallows

I didnt really respond to the fill question because we have talked about it several times on here the last few months...but I got unfilled in my first trimester because I wasnt sick at all but I had REALLY bad restriction. I had almost none before I was pregnant, and then it was just REALLY tight, so I got mine unfilled at about 4 months prego, I waited as long as possible. The doctor told me I had to gain 10lbs in a month or the baby and I may not be as healthy as we needed to be, so I unfilled and OH BOY thats when the cravings set in... I still dont eat like a pig or anything, just eat what Im craving, and stop when I feel even the least bit full. I dropped like 20-25lbs the first month I was pregnant because I had the flu and stress was just eating me alive, I know this sounds bad but that first month I know I went about 3 days without eating, I just drank milk...nothing else would go down and it felt funky in my mouth...I was so stressed out and sick at the same time that I just couldnt eat....to bad that didnt ever happen when I wasnt pregnant....lol

hey, ill tell you ladies that I never knew what hunger felt like until I got pregnant lol! All those times before the band and with the band being filled...NO! I get freakin HUNGRY! lol! Its so weird...Im always worried about eating....Ive never been like that, even before the band. Its not that I have specific cravings, I crave random things at random times and I gotta have it, its so weird...Ive gained alot of weight, but I still havent reached my pre-surgery weight...I hope I dont get up that big again.... Im carrying her all out front and high, it looks like I swallowed a freakin basketball or something lol! HEY Im carrying like those skinny girls do! FUNI!

Awww!!! the nursery is sooo cute! I wish I could have a nursery just to decorate it lol!! I just get to decorate a window, the crib, and part of a wall...Im doing Hot pink and zebra print

Happy Valentine's Day BTW Yall! lol! I totally forgot to wish yall that :thumbup: Surprisingly, it hasnt been the sad day it usually is...My late grandfather LOVED V-Day for some reason, and so it usually makes me sad...that and I am kinda single, knocked up and alone on V-Day....however for some reason, Ive still kept a pretty happy face today...dont get me wrong, Ive thought about all this all day, but for some reason it just cant get me down. Last night I was a little funky-mooded (word? lol) but today hasnt been so bad surprisingly. Besides the love of my life is in my belly growing healthy and big and strong and beautiful!! Whats there not to be happy about any day? Especially on the day that represents love! <3 love you ladies, hope your day was great

Im using lamisil or something like that, its OTC because Im preggers, but it is helping already! its atleast got the burning and dry skin under control, which was the worst part :thumbup: Its not like anyone sees that part of me anyways lol! Hell I cant even see it unless I look in a mirror...This cream I have is actually for athletes foot and jock itch ahahhaha!!! But its GREAT!

I know that I went a little nuts in college after losing a lot of weight and decided that I REALLY liked beer...I drank lots of beer (I usually drank liquor) because a.) i liked it and b.) it was cheaper. And I was in a sorority, and well gotta show off those beer bonging, keg stand, beer chugging skills right? WRONG....my band hasnt been the same since, I dont know if there really is anything wrong with it because I havent had it looked it because Ive been preggers, but after Im done being pregnant Im gonna go get it checked out...I know that I didnt have much of a fill when I was doing all that with the beer and after a month of beer drinking, I was puking EVERYTHING (even Water and milk and stuff) up every time I ate or drank ANYTHING. Seems like the carbonation + band mix really screwed me up....granted its been a long time since all that happened and it could have been a temporary problem, Im completely unfilled right now and can eat anything! WHICH IS NOT GOOD! Before I started drinking carbonation, even unfilled I felt restriction...now its nothing at all, like I may have stretched out the pouch and it allows more food to initially go in....I have several theories, none of them certain or proven lol! But I definately think my carbonation intake could have messed up my band

Alrighty guys, I went to the Doctor today and the rash was fungal! Glad I didnt listen to my mom and just let it go and let it heal on its own! lol! You shoulda seen the doctors face, she was like "how LONG have you had that!" I was like 2 weeks or so...she was so surprised that I put up with the pain for that long...I mean it was irritable and it REALLY did hurt, but once you get it in your mind that its nothing its more bearable I suppose???? Apparently this is common in people that are diabetic so they checked my blood sugar, and it came out normal (THANK GOD!) And I had to pee in a cup to check for Protein because my blood pressure was high (contrary to it being extremely low Friday!) UGH! These hormones I got are gonna kill me lol!! Turns out I had a pretty bad UTI too and I didnt even know! Like I had absolutely NO symptoms...weird! I have my gestational diabetes test Monday, I just hope it comes back normal...Im so scared of diabetes...period....and Ive had more than one scare where I was exhibiting symptoms of diabetes, but upon more testing wasnt...so Im just hoping everything comes out normal...that was one of the main reasons I had the surgery was to try to prevent diabetes, and Ive had like 3 scares since I lost the weight and none while I was at my biggest! ironic huh?? Anyways, thought I would keep yall updated...UGH reality is setting in, and I have to keep myself calm...I keep realizing that at the end of the semester I will have a baby...that it HAS to come out somehow (either way cant be too comfy lol) and that I will be a mommy...thats a scary thought for someone who never planned on having children...EVER! I happier than Ive ever been in my entire life, I actually feel like I have a purpose and so forth, and that feels great...but Im still scared and nervous with all the usual pregnancy stuff...maybe I watch too much Discovery, DHealth, and TLC LOL!!!

I went to the chiropractor today also, my disk keeps slipping, but its getting SO much better than what it was a week ago!!! And Im so glad, Im hoping to do some light chores tomorrow and get ready to put the crib in my room Sunday...Im pretty excited about getting the room more baby-style. I asked the Dr why my butt was hurting, if I needed to be more active or something, and he said no to keep on taking it pretty easy, and that my pelvis had shifted....he said that although its bothersome now, that its gonna help SOOOO much that Im this flexible and that things are getting out of the way when I do go to deliver the baby...he said it should speed things up a little and make everything a little bit more bearable. Atleast it has a purpose...but anyways, Im gonna try to do some stuff around the house tomorrow because I go back to the chiropractor Friday morning, so atleast if I screw anything up and he can fix it again Friday before the weekend lol! But I know mom is going insane without me being able to due much of anything...

P.S. Im so addicted to the heating pad, I turn it on high and cuddle up and go to sleep...Ive been sleeping better than Ive slept in a long time, and Im in a freakin recliner!!! Thats sad, we are re-evaluating my mattress situation this weekend also lol! And I have apparently burned myself with the heating pad! I guess when i was asleep today my pants went down and my shirt came up and I fell DEAD asleep before it got REALLY hot...I took the best nap I have taken in SOOO long today, it was WONDERFUL!!! Anyways, lol! Im rambling, so Im going to go to sleep with the heating pad on medium....Im sure the burn will be gone in the morning because it wasnt that bad....

I actually agree...I was a RX person...I liked the 'scripts. Mostly uppers though...before my band I battled addiction to Phentermine/Adipex (which is basically Meth in a pill). I had others that I liked too, but this was my fave EVER! I did pills for a long time (all through Jr. High and High School)...and I quit before I got the band...I have to admit the side effects SUCK! I STILL cant get as much done because the phentermine really messed up the chemicals in my brain to think that it needs that stimulation to work. Before I started taking them I could muster up enough energy to get stuff done and I slept normally....now 3 years sober from them, I STILL have to force myself to get anything productive done. I hate the feeling, and the only why to fix it, is to fight it...which you dont want to do because you just never have any energy that isnt generated by something else...i.e. your lazy all the time. The saddest part of all is the fact that I have NEVER taken a pill that wasnt prescribed to me, so all my addictions were to my own pills! What I dont understand is the companies that do a hair test for employment, I mean a female could have just been around pot at a party or something and inhaled some of the smoke and its in her hair until she gets that part cut off, which could take forever to grow! I mean she could have been around it a year or more ago and never been around it since, and still be refused employment....thats ridiculous! What should matter to employers (which I do understand WHY it matters) is if you have used it in the last 30 days or so, basically recently, and how much is in your system. I also think that there should be a quantity level just like with alcohol as to how much can be in your system before you are denied/terminated from employment.

I used to be one of those people who HATED anything that had to do with pot, and couldnt stand it when I knew my friends were doing it....but I had a terrible misconception of what it did to people...I thought it was this terrible drug that made you do weird things and hurt people and stuff (like a hard drug)....but after going to a few parties and witnessing effects...I soon realized that these people didnt want to get off the couch, much less hurt someone or go psycho lol! Thats when I became tolerant of it, and I actually wouldnt mind it being legalized in some way...I mean Salvia is perfectly legal and is WAY more dangerous than weed.

YAY!!! Congrats Candice! Well, I was sitting around and realized, HOLY S***! Mine is coming soon lol, well I still got a while, but there is a buttload to do, especially concerning legal issues with the father....OH and I think I will have some cake tonight, its been like 2 weeks or so since the last time his girlfriend has tried to contact me...she wont leave me alone! SWEARING Im gonna sue her for emotional distress, but that would be pointless since she has NOTHIGN!! HAHAHAHHA lol! I really dislike her more than him....he leaves me alone, and I dont care....I dont want him anywhere near me and dont think I wont go get a restraining order...They arent allowed anywhere near the hospital (not that they care enough to show up, but you can never predict a crackhead, much less a pair)...Sooo........Im sitting here researching child support and how to get it, and its actually a pretty single-mom supportive program. I mean that I can file it, and if he is proven the father (which is he is) he will be ordered to pay for the test and all that....like nothing is on me, so Im happy :smile2: I get so stressed out because that little girl wont leave me alone...I have told her countless times that I dont want to speak to her that its none of her business, and she still wont go away....shes so jealous that he and I have something together, more than something, a someone, and shes psychotic....lol you should see these myspace messages I have printed off to take to the attorney....God I pray everyday she gets pregnant with him and they have like freakin triplets and I can only WISH she marries the psychotic idiot, they deserve one another lol!

I just wanted to remind you all that most of your restaurant staffs are stoned out of their minds when they work...and I bet you dont get screwed up food as often as you think you would...Ive worked in several restaurants, where as it was annoying to me being a sober person at work (my drug of choice was always alcohol, which I stopped when I got preggers) to deal with because they would bug the crap out of me, they actually did better waiting tables and getting stuff done when they were stoned...Ive never worked at a restaurant or known many people who do work at restaurants that arent on SOMETHING...but most times its just pot to be able to handle the disgruntled customers who walk in with a bad attitude. I know that the people who smoked always made more money than those who didnt....strange huh? Its because they are friendlier to the customers and more easygoing and relaxed

not really because stomachs are organs and organs are made of tissue...and therefore if they cut the tissue on the stomach...then theoretically they are cutting and/or stapling the stomach. As far as I was told they didnt take anything out of my body...I didnt even have a pre-op diet or anything special before the surgery...I was back as school the following the Monday, I went shopping at Hobby Lobby the next day...I didnt have a hard recovery at all, and this doctor's patients seem to have very long recovery periods. But Im definately gonna check out Louisiana and see how close I can get

and my stomach was not cut or stapled...i dont have a staple in my body :thumbup:

I actually have been accepted by two other surgeons...his office and one in San Antonio (When I lived in Corpus Christi)...And this isnt the first complication Ive seen with him...when he did my friends surgery her incisions looked terrible directly afterward, where as mine were very clean and small....hers were large and swollen...and her portsite looked like some kind of strange growth/infection. I understand that certain tools MUST be involved, that doesnt take a genius....but he's success rate isnt lookin to great. However I just had an epiphany, my blonde-headed self just realized I could cross state line to find a surgeon because I live so close to the border of Louisiana. I REALLY loved my surgeon in the beginning, he was awesome and down-to-earth....but as he has taken on more patients and gotten more popular and lets face it, richer....he has become a total asshole...I paid him big bux CASH for the surgery and every single fill...atleast the guys in San Antonio (who had WAY more of a client list) treated me like a human being and not a cash cow. Now that I think about it though, I think Im going to see if anyone does it in Louisiana.

oooohhh and I totally got hit on last time I went to the dr! it freaked me out...I was wearing a shirt that was a little low-cut, and I guess I was maintaining it well because I was trying to dig in my purse and talk on the cellphone, and this guy walked by with his girlfriend or wife or something and totally took a nice STARE, not glance, STARE at my cleavage...and said "hi, how you doin?" I just stared at him like are you serious? LOL it was freakin funny though....oh and one more thing lol.....

I took my very thin and blessed BFF with me one day, and she felt so uncomfortable that she will not go back because everyone looked at her and made remarks under their breaths about why she was there...She was just accompanying me because I have to drive so far to the dr and I didnt want to go alone....but I guess they assumed she wanted a band lol

I really hate it when people brag about what they can eat despite having the band...it doesnt make me jealous, it pisses me off....especially when they are losing and Im not...I usually stick to a strict diet and still get griped at by my doctor, however someone who brags about getting down a burger loses 10 pounds WTF!? Doctor praises them and scolds me....NOT FAIR!! Ive heard all kinds of stuff in the waiting room, so now I just choose to go to the Dr. when its not a busy day because i get pissed off WAY too easily. Ive heard people bragging about getting unfilled for the holidays, Ive heard people being down on themselves and griping the whole time they were there about being fat, I hear people moan and groan about not being able to eat the crap food they were eating before the surgery and how much they miss it...I even hear them putting down people who HAVE lost all their weight and are just doing checkups or ppl they just know that had it done. We should support one another, not make it a competition :thumbup:

"Diet and exercise is the ONLY way to lose weight, if you're big it's your own fault. PERIOD."

It IS our fault. Sorry, but NO ONE put a gun to our heads to eat. No one tied us down and force fed us. We did it to ourselves. We can rationalize that we have bad karma or whatever, but yes, diet and exercise ARE the only way to lose weight, unless you carve it off with a knife. There is NO other option. Diet and exercise is what you do on the band. You just have the "tool" as help. But all the physical principles stand....you gotta close your mouth to lose weight and you gotta move.

I do agree with this to a certain extent...although Im not sure what it has to do with this thread...However, I know that some people have a harder time losing weight than others. I know that I have always been overweight...I was born bigger than usual, and was always overweight from there on out. Im not big boned either. My metabolism just REALLY sucks rear-end. I know that when I am filled and Im actually watching what I eat, I have to take in less then 1000 cals a day to do any good. Before the surgery, I tried everything...I went on a healthy diet and exercise program for a year, I worked out EVERY day at the gym for about 3 hours, doing mostly cardio, and ate a balanced diet and never lost a single pound...I didnt gain either....I just got a little healthier all-around. I remember doing weight watchers and following the points and not losing anything after the first 2 weeks, so I started taking in less points to lose weight and they jumped on me...I do agree though that for MOST people diet and exercise does work...however, if its so damn easy...why are we all here with zip-ties around our stomachs??

Ive never been a pot-smoker because its kind of a downer...but I know one girl who smoked pot forever, and still does, and graduated valedictorian and is on the dean's list...shes really a pothead...but it helps her concentrate to get things done and really focus on what shes doing...now Ive seen some idiots who do it too...but Ive seen some freakin geniuses. Like a professor of mine, he was BRILLIANT! and smoked TONS of pot lol!

I never smoked before surgery, I HATE the smell of it, it makes me literally sick and nauseated....but I dont knock anyone who does it, and keeps their life in order. I definately wouldnt do it after surgery because of the terrible munchies that take over...Im a calorie counter and just couldnt bare to give in to something like that...but hey if you can handle it, its cool

Im doing the diabetes check on presidents day...boo...i dont want to do it because I know they are going to make me drink that sugary stuff....plus I have to fast...and that sucks with my pregnancy because I crave Snacks rather than actual meals :thumbup:

Thats just it....there is one doctor one way and one doctor the other...thats it....I drive an hour and 45 mins just to see my doctor i see now, the other guy is closer in another town...but like I said anyone that can mess up like that I dont want poking me with anything.

So Ive been looking for a new doctor for after I have my baby. I want to get this weight off, and I want a doctor that is more supportive than the one I have right now...I want a better bedside manner, and one that isnt so rude about big girls. I have a friend that had the surgery a few months ago and has really gotten the weight off, and her doctor lets her choose her fills and stuff, and doesnt really limit her (I think he should since shes new at it)...but Ive had mine for over 2 years and its never really worked for me no matter what, so I was hoping to use a new doctor for fills and check-ups. So I decided I would try to go see my friend's doctor after the baby is born....but another one of our friends went and had the surgery and shes been in the hospital for over a week because the surgeon accidently nicked her intestines....I dont get how that happens because there really arent any sharp objects involved, and now Im thinking that he might be a really negligent doctor...and now I dont want to use him, but hes the only other doctor in my area....so I guess Im stuck with the (pardon my language) asshole Ive got for a dr. I really dont need this new guy trying to work on me (i have an oddly placed port because of my body shape and stuff) when he cant even do his run of the mill surgery right. I could understand if it had more to do with the band itself, but he really screwed this lady up...

I still drink caffeine, I dont remember ever being told not to....but carbonation is a no no when Im filled....it HURTS and I have problems eating for atleast 24 hours afterward...it expands the stomach and could cause slippage and all kinds of problems with the band. Plus there is no good soda....diet or not. They are loaded with CRAP that is bad for you and makes you feel bad. Im serious, when Im filled and unpregnant I stick to crystal light, some juices, Vitamin Water, milk, and regular water, and tea...occassionally a cup of coffee. However caffeine can really dehydrate you, and it too much can make you feel icky too. I remember that from my college days that I would stay up for 2 or 3 days straight. Neither one just arent any good for the body whether your overweight or not, and really should be avoided.